Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Taiwan saw nearly 9 percent more car sales in August from a year earlier, according to statistics released by transportation authorities Monday. Dealerships sold 23,181 cars in Taiwan last month, up 8.79 percent annually. But the figure was down 48.65 percent from July, as Taiwanese consumers tend to avoid major purchases during Ghost Month -- the 7th month on the lunar calendar, which lasted from July 27 to Aug. 24 this year, to avoid bad luck. That means people usually plan their purchases earlier or later, which worked to push up auto sales in July 12.33 percent from the previous month to 45,147 units. September is likely to see an even higher figure. Hotai Motor Co., the local sales agent for Toyota Motor Corp., remained the top vendor in Taiwan, selling 6,187 units in August for a 26.7 percent market share. Hotai was optimistic that the overall car market would continue to be strong and raised its forecast last week for this year's sales to reach 410,000 units, the highest level since 2005, when annual sales totaled a record 514,627 units. China Motor Corp., a leading local auto maker which manufactures cars for brands including Mitsubishi, came in second. It took a 9.9 percent market share in August with sales of 2,288 units, a 50.9 percent drop from July and a 10.2 percent increase year-on-year. Yulon Nissan Motor, the local manufacturer for the Japanese car brand, was the third largest supplier with a 9 percent share on sales of 2,075 automobiles, down 59.9 percent month-on-month and 14.8 percent year-on-year, according to the statistics. (By James Lee)